This pasta recipe was inspired by Ottolenghi's Simple book. I tried to simplify it further in terms of reducing the number of dishes to wash. It turned out very tasty, with the exploding flavors of fresh garlic and oregano. The roasted eggplant adds a nice and meaty texture.

Serves four

 

Ingredients

3 small/medium eggplants

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 pinch of dried chili flakes

1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano)

5 large oregano sprigs

1 tsp sugar

300g spaghetti

50g shaved mature pecorino or parmesan

1 cup fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Using a peeler, shave off long strips of eggplant so that they look striped, like zebras. Cut crosswise into 1cm slices. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place the eggplants on the baking sheet, sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix with your hands then spread out the slices on the baking sheet. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Put some olive oil in a sauté pan and place over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chile flakes and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden brown. Do not let it burn! Add the tomatoes and their juice, oregano, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and a grind of pepper. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick. Remove the oregano sprigs, and stir in the eggplant. 

Cook to spaghetti al dente, then stir in the sauce and mix well, adding half of the basil and cheese. Divide the pasta among 4 shallow bowls and top with the remaining cheese and basil.